Cee-Lo will certainly be missed in the fourth season of The Voice, but Usher is a competent replacement thus far. And the sexy Shakira is a welcome replacement for Christina Aguilera. The Colombian star actually wears clothes that fit her, and looks great only three months after having a baby. She employs sweetness and humility where before Ms. Aguilera was catty and egotistical, and the two new coaches fit in very well with the returning Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. The reality singing show sometimes is focused more on the celebrity judges/coaches than the talent, and the Usher/Shakira move was a good one. The most recent episode saw Team Adam adding Patrick Dodd and Latin pop singer Agina Alvarez among its members, and that leaves Levine with four more spots to round out this season’s roster.

Team Blake added Savannah Berry and pop singer Trevor Davis, leaving Mr. Shelton five spots on his team. Team Shakira took on Brandon Roush and New Orleans R&B singer C. Perkins, leaving Shakira with three spots. Finally, with blind auditions wrapping up next week, Team Usher has added Audrey Karrasch and Orlando Dixon, with four spots open. The teams now officially have more than half of their 12 required members, and the judges have become quite selective. The 19-year-old Brandon Roush was nabbed by Shakira, and he has sort of a combination of grunge and Broadway that sounded perfect when he sang Joe Cocker’s arrangement of “With a Little Help from My Friends.” Audrey Karrasch is a beautiful former model, and could be the possible front runner at the early stages of the competition, sense her beauty is joined by an excellent singing voice.

Patrick Dodd is a 35-year-old rocker from Memphis who recently sounded outstanding singing “Walking Through Memphis,” and though Shakira made a valiant pitch by stating, “Never underestimate a 5′ 3″ Colombian girl,” Dodd went with Levine. Savannah Berry is a 17-year-old YouTube sensation from Houston, Texas, and she could definitely be one of the top talents. The Voice 2013 is up and running, and it is anyone’s guess as to which will be the winning team at the end of this fourth season. Who do you like so far? And what do you think about Shakira and Usher as the two new judges/coaches? As teams have not been finalized and we have two new judges to get used to, it is much too soon to make any predictions, as another exciting season of The Voice kicks off.

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